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Life's A Twitch! Celebrating 15 years.
1998 - 2018
Life's A Twitch! Celebrating 15 years.

 

Question 73: I am pretty convinced my 7 year son has Tourette Syndrome [and] We do have an appointment with a Neurologist in February. In the mean time, I am obsessed and wanting to make sense of all of my son's behavior. There are times when he is out of contol, mainly being silly, not listening and saying inappropriate things. This has been going on for years. Many people have asked (or assumed) he had ADHD when he was in one of his "silly moods." Of course, I think I am a horrible mother who can not control my son. He does not have this problem at school (He does vocal and motor tics at school). When I get really angry, he gets very upset, almost surprised that I am mad. It's as if I didn't ask him 100 times to stop the behavior. Is this associated with Tourettes. Please let me know. Thanks; MM, MA, USA.


Good afternoon MM:

I'm glad to hear that you've got an appointment booked to get some answers, and possibly some diagnoses! You have no greater weapon at your disposal than knowledge, and educating yourself more in TS and the various disorders that can co-occur with it is your best and most multi-faceted offence and defence wrapped all in one! There is a lot you can learn and do to inform yourself before February: read my website, link from mine to others, join internet chatrooms, go to support group meetings in your area, and empower yourself and your son by doing so.

 

While I am not in a position to make any diagnostic statements, I can say that it is very common for children with TS to have elements of ADHD -- some studies suggest upwards of 90% of children at least have some SYMPTOMS of ADHD. From your description, it sounds like there may be elements of hyperactivity and impulsivity in your son and you should be sure to bring these symptoms to the attention of the neurologist when you go for the February appointment.

 

Regarding your son not seeming to "hear" you when he's being silly: when a child IS acting on impulse or is running on excess energy, oftentimes (s)he can 'miss' the signs we are sending out that "we've had enough -- we're starting to boil and you will be in trouble soon"). While obvious to us, nonverbal cues such as tone, body language, and facial expression may be too subtle to be noticed by the overstimulated child. Being more explicit with the child about how you are feeling before reaching the boiling point or even explicitly training the child in how to watch for signs of irritation in others (e.g., "see my face right now Timmy? This is my angry face. When you see this face it means I'm probably going to yell soon") can help.

 

Of course, you are wrong about being a horrible mother because of how your son acts and how you sometimes react! These disorders DO have neurological bases to them -- you didn't "do" this to him. And you would not be human if you DIDN'T sometimes get frustrated with the extremes we disinhibited people can take you to. In fact, you should take the fact that he acts out in front of you and not at school as a warped sort of compliment. There is some control possible in these disorders as to when you "release" (akin to deciding, with limited success, when you will scratch an itch) and people tend to release in the environments where they feel the "safest" and most comfortable. Left with little options around WHETHER his symptoms will come out, he chooses (somewhat) WHERE they will come out and in so doing basically says, "I KNOW you love me, mommy, and won't lock me up and throw away the key because I'm strange or different".

I hope this helps. Happy learning MM -- you are taking the first steps in one of the most important journeys you and your son will ever embark upon.

Dr. Dunc.

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Last updated on March 25, 2022

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